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Australia is adding iodine to their bread

kangarooOn the heels of an excellent Thyroid Patient STTM Community Call on iodine with guest Stephanie Buist (see below), it was just announced by the Food Standards Authority of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) that Australia will add the micronutrient iodine to bread. New Zealand already started that practice in September of last year.

The announcement mentions the importance of iodine to thyroid functioning, as well as for infant brain and nervous system, both during and after pregnancy.  For the latter, it states “Not having enough iodine during pregnancy and early childhood can cause developmental delay and lead to reductions in mental performance. This damage prior to 2-3 years of age is irreversible.”

Apparently, the  soils of Australia and New Zealand are not too prolific in iodine, and patient levels have been revealing that fact for decades. But Stephanie Buist, the friendly and knowledgeable owner of the yahoo group Iodine, as well as a thyroid cancer survivor, states that even most US soils are becoming depleted.  It’s not just a problem of the northern US “goiter belt”, Europe or Africa anymore.

The importance of iodine goes even farther than thyroid functioning, pregnancy and infant brain development. It has a key role in breast health, your immune system, bones, estrogen metabolism, lung health, eyes, and cancer prevention. The iodine4health website lists many benefits as well as areas not understood yet.

How much do we need? Experts like Abraham, Flechas and Brownstein will emphatically state that we probably need more than is recommended.  At least 50 mg of iodine may be necessary for awhile to bring your levels back up to healthy amounts, besides stop the the side effects of iodine on hashimotos disease.  i.e. thinking you are getting enough iodine naturally from foods, or even from natural desiccated thyroid like Naturethroid, Erfa’s Thyroid, or compounded, may not be so.

How do you find out if you are iodine deficient? Stephanie stated on the Community Call that the majority of folks probably are deficient. But if you want to be sure, you can do the Iodine Loading Test.

What are good iodine supplements? Lugols is an liquid variety, and my husband and I personally use it in our morning juice or Emergen C (my husband uses Emergen C in water since he’s diabetic, and it’s a good way for him to get his Vitamin C).   In pill form is Iodoral, developed by Abraham.  You can google either and find some website sources. Also good to take with iodine supplementation is magnesium, Vitamin C, and selenium, which helps with the detox effects.

You can listen to the recording of Stephanie’s and my conversion on iodine by going to the link below for Episode 5 of the Thyroid Patient STTM Community Call. (Yes, I will correct the skipping you hear in my voice next time.)

Read Diana’s experience with iodine helping her get off desiccated thyroid. Not something we can all do, but it happened to her!

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FDA is not requiring form when you order Erfa’s Thyroid

CloudSilverLiningSometimes there is a silver lining with the storm cloud of backordered US desiccated thyroid.

Erfa, the makers of the Canadian version of natural desiccated thyroid, simply called “Thyroid”, has recently announced that the FDA is not requiring the extensive FDA Form 1572 from US citizens and their doctors when they fill their prescriptions from Erfa directly. i.e. it’s now a lot easier to get your prescription filled directly from them.

http://www.erfa-sa.com/thyroid_usa.htm

And those who have started to use Erfa’s Thyroid report being quite pleased. A cherry on top is that Thyroid has that old sweet taste we used to all like with the old Armour, and it can be done sublingually as well! You can see the ingredients here.

Also, I am continuing to get emails from patients that both Armour and Naturethroid is starting to appear on pharmacy shelves, even if in small quantities.  I’m personally not too excited about Armour reappearing if Forest continues to make the reformulated version. Just too many patients reporting a return of hypo symptoms, even when they raise it, plus new symptoms of undertreatment and/or challenged adrenals thanks to the reformulated version. Sad. Oh how we will all miss the old Armour.

In the meantime, here are options for thyroid treatment we all have until we see a good return of desiccated thyroid, including Naturethroid and Westhroid. They are all far, far better than being on T4 alone like Synthroid, Levoxyl, levothyroxine, et al. You’ll also note compounded thyroid, which can be a good option, and you can read about on a recent blog post.  Australians happily use compounded in their own country. Any option you and your doctor choose may mean a readjustment by your body, by the way.

Want to talk to other patients on how they are dealing with the shortages? Join the Coalition for Desiccated Thyroid.  Or if you simply need patient feedback about your hypothyroidism, go to the Talk to Others page.  Remember that no patient group is meant to be a substitute for your relationship with your doctor.

**The next Thyroid Patient Community Call will be held Thursday Oct. 8th on TalkShoe, and our topic will be iodine and your thyroid with patient expert Stephanie Buist. Come join us and listen right on your computer, or you can also talk live to Stephanie or Janie with your questions.

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Patients and wise doctors continue to learn in leaps and bounds

IMG_2008 Just when you think we’re full of great information for better thyroid care, there’s still more to learn and find out.  Below is information that you might find interesting on STTM.

ADRENALS: For those who discovered via the 24 adrenal saliva test that they needed cortisol support, we have come to realize that some can’t do the ramping up schedule from a small amount to a larger amount without having problems from the feedback loop.

Instead, many simply need to “start” on the higher amount, which would range from 20-30 mg. You can read about that on the How to Treat page, and you’ll note that not one morning amount goes higher than 10 mgs.  With the exception of men, higher than 10 mg seems to suppress the ACTH and adrenals too much.

A NEW LOOK: To make the STTM home page more understandable to newcomers, the home page has broken down the information better into separate pages, and also has a new interesting way of using it.

LISTEN TO THIS INFORMATION: STTM has short audio clips you can listen to, or send someone else to, to help understand what this is all about.

STORIES OF OTHERS: Individual real-life stories continue to come in, proving over and over that this revolution for far better care really does work.

FEEDBACK and MORE FEEDBACK: I get emails daily about lives changed thanks to this patient revolution. It’s wonderful to see people finding out WHY they have depression, less stamina than others, rising cholesterol and blood pressure, hair loss plus other lingering symptoms of  hypothyroidism left untreated because of the lousy TSH, or undertreated because of the equally-lousy T4-only treatment like Synthroid. I can’t begin to post them all, but STTM does contain a sampling of this feedback.

DESICCATED THYROID BRANDS: Wow, the list is growing for desiccated thyroid brands around the world! We now have listings for Denmark, Germany, Italy and New Zealand, as well as more detailed information on compounded thyroid in Australia. Thanks to all who contributed.

KEEPING UP WITH ADDITIONS TO STTM: In case you didn’t know, there’s a page meant to inform you of what’s added to STTM. I may neglect to list a few additions occasionally, but think I’m pretty close to getting most of them up there.

MEDICAL RESEARCH TO PROVE WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW: Did you know that STTM has a page which compiles research and studies which prove what we as patients already know? It’s not loaded with research yet, but it’s growing. And if you have found more to contribute to that page, use the Contact Me form.

SITE MAP: And bottom line, you can always go to the Site Map, or review the information more compactly in the book, which patients are taking into their doctors offices.

*Want to be informed of these blog posts? Curious what’s on Janie’s mind? Use the Notifications on the left at the bottom of the links.

*Stop the Thyroid Madness T-shirts are now 50% off! I like sales, don’t you? And by wearing these shirts, you’ll never know what seed you put in the mind of someone walking past you who’s still on Synthroid or any other T4 meds, and doesn’t know WHY they have depression, rising cholesterol, easy weight gain, the need for naps, etc. You”ll also find humorous bumper stickers which definitely spread the word.

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Yes, Dr. Walsh of Australia, patients were right about T4-only therapy.

My mouth just fell open last night.

Apparently, in December of 2002, an Australian doctor named JP Walsh (Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia), and an Endocrinologist to boot, wrote an most interesting article in the journal Current Opinion in Pharmacology.

This incredibly stunning article was titled Dissatisfaction with thyroxine therapy – could the patients be right?

The abstract states:

In some patients with hypothyroidism, symptoms of ill health persist despite thyroxine treatment. It is unclear whether this arises from comorbidity or because standard thyroxine replacement is in some way inadequate for some individuals. Some patients feel better if they take a slightly excessive dose of thyroxine, but this carries a potential risk of adverse cardiac and skeletal effects. There are conflicting data on whether combined thyroxine/triiodothyronine treatment is preferable to thyroxine alone in dissatisfied patients

I am unable to read the full article, as it is required that you pay a sum I don’t have. But you definitely get the impression that this doctor was on the cusp of figuring out what we have known solidly all along.  Because Dr. Walsh, the patients WERE right, and still are.  Synthroid, Levoxyl, Eltroxin, levothyroxine and all other T4-only medications suck, and have sucked for a long, long time.  www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/t4-only-meds-dont-work and  www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/long-and-pathetic

I so hope to be able to contact Dr. Walsh.  Do you know him?  Because he and I need to have a long talk.

Janie

p.s. Thank you Gerry.

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Dumb as boards; blind as bats

I use those phrases often. I can’t help it. Because it’s exactly what doctors are when it comes to thyroid treatment. It’s APPALLING.

Yesterday, I had the first of two book signings. It was announced in the paper, and I wasn’t sure what the turnout would be. I shouldn’t have wondered. It was a great turnout. People are GETTING IT that there is SOMETHING WRONG with their treatment. Around me stood several women, all still on T4 (Synthroid, Levoxyl, et al), and ALL suffering. All but one woman had weight problems. Several had rising cholesterol. Some admitted to being on anti-depressants. Some obviously had adrenal fatigue. And ALL were being told by their doctors that their thyroid treatment was now “normal”. Where can I go beat my head against the wall?????? They were eager to get the book and the knowledge it contained to change their lives!

So far, the book has been sent to Norway, Iceland, Belgium, UK, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, Australia and Canada, besides all over the US. The STTM website started the wheel to turn, and the book can only move it faster. And add it to other thyroid books which had begun to mention the truth (Broda Barnes being the first) as well as other groups and websites—we’ll eventually knock some SENSE and SIGHT in doctors, don’t you think?

The Stop the Thyroid Madness book, the bible of correct thyroid and adrenal treatment, by patients for patients, can be ordered here.

P.S. I live near one town which serves a population of nearly 35,000 people, and near another of over 4000 people, and there are plenty of doctors around here. Yet, there is not ONE doctor in this area that “gets it”. I sympathize with YOU if you are in the same boat.

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